Happy Birthday Alayna!!

Our oldest and most wisest child has turned 7 this morning!

I decided to make a delicious breakfast that any child would LOVE to look forward to for their birthday...Chocolate Pancakes with Strawberries, and Strawberry Syrup.

My sister Krista let me borrow her DARLING birthday banners and chair cover. I have made a smaller one in the past, but when Krista made this large, bright and festive banner. I knew that this new design would please Alayna greatly. I was totally right, she was in HEAVEN! The good thing is, I have all the matching fabric to sew the same thing! Maybe by Jake's birthday I will have it done...wishful thinking.

These three monkies are birthday-loving-children. Seriously, it's a good thing that as the year comes around Alayna's birthday comes first, then Jacob and then Caleb. Seriously, there isn't a day that goes by that Alayna doesn't talk about her birthday. She LOVES being special. She LOVES being pampered and shown extra attention and love. It's surprising that I have a 7 year old girl. Wow, I think I'm finally getting older...Happy Birthday to our happy obedient little girl. We love you!

Happy Easter

Good Morning! Oh, what a wonderful morning it was. It was SO GREAT to have Jared home with us for a Sunday morning. No early church meetings, means slow fun, family mornings. Anyways, we slept in. Let Jared pick breakfast and we had the kids hide so I could finish a little thing I read to do for Easter baskets. I tied a yarn all around the house, up and down, all around, doors, furniture, etc. Then they had to start at the beginning then gather all the yarn up till it lead them to their baskets. I have never done it before until I read about it on 71toes.com. I loved the idea and so did the kids. Next year I will do what she suggested and have a different colored yarn for each kid, starting from their individual beds. I just wanted to try it with one mess the first time around...until next year!

 

This is Jake's new desired smile...I tell him it's a mean grouchy face and he says, "I am smiling!"

Here is our attempt to an Easter picture...let's just say Ben wouldn't smile...he really isn't as grumpy as his this picture looks. I was totally frustrated though, because I took a few darling pictures until I looked at them in my camera and realized the flash made them all WHITE...so I piled the kids back together and they were so not cooperating...oh, well. It's hard to get four kids to do what I want! Not to mention me, learning how to use my camera!

Here is Mr. Chubby himself...I think today was the first day he wore real clothes...yup, I changed him out of pajama's for the holiday...The 3-6 month clothes were literally bursting at the seams. When I tried to squeeze the pants on him, I felt like me trying to squeeze into my once smaller size pants...which I'm wishing I could fit into! Little buddy, it's just more comfortable to wear pajama's for us all! Alayna even noticed he was wearing clothes because she said, "Oh, mom, Benny looks so cute...he's like wearing real people clothes, cute pants, a shirt and even socks! He's so cute!" I literally laughed...he's 5 months old and finally wearing clothes! But...Monday he was back in pajama's again! Sorry dude.

A long awaited update...



Our family from the eyes of Jacob (age 4). Seriously, I love this picture. I love that he took the time to color us all, write our names and give us all belly buttons. Let's just say that this is being saved in the book of memories, forever. I love it.

Besides loving my kids and living regular life I decided I must have gone through a mini-four-kid-off-track-mid-life-crisis....My mini crisis isn't over yet, so these are just a few pictures to catch my avid readers up on my life...

A little paint....(Oh, and I chopped my hair off again! goodbye longer hair, hello familiar short hair!)

Goodbye brown...Hello WHITE...

I will take better pictures in the day time and when it's totally finished, but so far I am IN LOVE with the changes.

For those of you who know me well know that my paint color around my home has driven me crazy for three years now. So at the start of my projects I have painted my ceilings WHITE...I love it. love it. LOVE it. I then painted my kitchen (yes, I painted it again for the third time in 3 years) and painted the main wall...the wall you see in the picture above. It's the same color as my guest bathroom. I LOVE it. I LOVE it in the main room with the white entertainment center. The kitchen still needs a little change and lightening up, but for the most part I'm LOVING the changes. Did I mention I really like the new feel?? Well, I do. I still have to paint the inside of the fireplace nook white, spray paint the canned lights, finish the office and master bedroom ceilings, and some new changes to the kitchen. But for the most part all is done! Oh, besides deciding what type of decor to do on top of the entertainment center...give me some ideas. Don't worry what's on top right now is just random decorations that I placed up there away from kids. (And the decor on the fire place.) I did however add flowers to the flowers in the fireplace.

If you notice carefully Caleb has his pants on backwards. As mothers of young toddlers you all know that that means...He's totally 100% potty trained. Go Caleb! Let's just say after a week he was totally on his own. It's been HEAVENLY!

During potty training I realized quickly that this almost three year old was not taught (by me) how to get dressed by him self. So what did we do...we taught him how! Yes, he accomplished this as well. Shocking I know...what almost three year old doesn't get dressed himself...Jake and Alayna are really good helpers!

Family Home Evening is truly a favorite night around our house. We have added a new fun thing to our scheduled/planned FHE's around here. I recently thought that I miss not reading the Friend magazine regularly. So one night a month (or as often as I remember) we do an activity and read stories and make the kid friendly recipes out of it. Seriously, we are so blessed to have an AMAZING resource to help teach our children the gospel principles. I love it and so do they. I have to admit we are hooked on the pretzels. YUM.

How have you all lived with out this chubby guy. He is such a doll to have around. He's probably around 20 lbs. and growing. He downs 8 oz. every 4 hours with out an trouble. He looks deeply into your eyes and keeps eye contact with you for a really long time. I LOVE this too. (Look at those chubby elbows. So gooey and cute!

Happy baby!

This was darling. In all my adventures of painting I had the windows open and listening to the boys playing outside. I over heard Jake saying, "Now...Bend...Now...Kick...Now Bend...Now Kick..Good job Caleb." It was adorable. I had to lean out to see what they were doing, then I realized he was teaching him how to pump in the swing. I have to give Jake credit, he has taught Caleb how to swing. It really was so precious. These brothers really enjoy being together. I just love watching them be friends, wrestle and show love and concern for one another. This was a good mom moment.

The leprechauns returned again this year!

My other project that I have been up to is organizing my pantry. You know it was bad when Jake said, "Mom, every time I'm in here I think everything is falling on top of me!" So when Jared had to work out of town all day long until midnight, I rushed off to Walmart and purchased new uniform containers (Spent a fortune- I don't recommend that!) Scrubbed, threw away 2 garbage bags full of who knows what was hiding in there, cleaned, consolidated, organized, and beautified this area of the home. And thank heavens for labels. Because seriously, with those clear containers, I need to read to know what's found inside!! ( ha ha ha - this sarcasm is for my sisters who have teased me unmercifully about the need for labels on clear containers.) Either way I love it and it pleased Jared greatly. He's Mr. Organize Pantry Man...so this was GOOD surprise for him to return home too. I'm proud to admit that because of such great organization it has remained clean for a month now! That's a big deal around here.

That's about it folks. Because you are all wondering why in the world have I not blogged, well you guessed it...my computer ONCE again was broken. It's not fixed permanently, but for the time being it's working. So I'm saving all my goods and crossing my fingers that we can solve all my computer issues. Jared is just praying that we can get it fixed because heaven knows an Apple computer is my next laptop in line...Thank to my ipad for my birthday, this has completely sold me on that upcoming decision! Life is good around here. We are "Enjoying and Enduring" that journey of life!

Skiing Adventures 2012

Thanks to Grandpa Randy and Jared the kids were able to head up to Brighton Ski Resort for their very first adventurous in skiing...let's just say I was SO nervous for them. Well, not really. I was more nervous for the sheer amount of tantrums, whining and anxiety the kids might have had. 

The Jake-ster on his adorable little skis...seriously can it get any cuter?? I think not!

The princess herself LOVING skiing. Jared said she was MUCH tougher than he expected. Way to go girl!

So cute. Mr. Tough Guy

Happy as can be...

Loving the time with Daddy.

Caleb was home with mom and Ben...wishing he was skiing.

Our superman baby...he holds onto his blanket like it's his cape.

See...Superman.

Ski day #2... a week past and the kids were BEGGING to go again. So they went back up. The kids took their ski class again and really improved. Jared honestly was TOTALLY impressed. He said they were tough and could manage going all the way down the mountain all on their own with out falling. Yeah, for the kids! Jared of course was snowbarding. He wouldn't think of skiing... Speaking of Jared, Alayna said, "Mom, did you know that dad is SUCH a good snowboarder...'Oh, really I answered." She said, "Yeah he is because did you know he can snowboard backwards and take pictures of us and he doesn't even fall! He really is that good!"

As I write up this blog I'm thinking Jared should write it up because he experienced this fun new adventure with the kids and not me. All I know is now that Ben is bottle feeding and I can leave him, I am TOTALLY going with them next week. Oh, such a fun new activity our family can join in on!

Happy Jumping Benny!

A little jumper is among us...

Seriously, this is where this kid lives if I am not snuggling him, or if he's sleeping...He loves to bounce around and around.

It's currently making life easy when I'm cooking dinner or showering, or getting ready for the day.

He honestly LOVES it.

Because I couldn't capture a non-fuzzy oh so happy smiling baby picture I decided to just post a fuzzy one...to show how happy and chubby this little dude is. He just had his 4 month Dr visit and yes he's weighing in at 17 lbs...yup he's a chubby dude!

Ben

Oh, how we love him!